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[zanaakhabila]

-9) Reminisce

Apartment of Eline Akhabila

Early Morning, 19th Sun, Second Astral Moon

As the door clicked and locked behind her, Eline pushed her way past her miqo'te sisters, both of which were trying to wrap their minds around the things that were actually going on.

Rana was wide awake, clutching her staff, even as she stood there in her nightwear, face pale as she watched Eline clear the couch off with a quick sweep of a free hand before depositing the weakly struggling body of her wayward sister onto it, followed by the raen girl that she'd only caught a glimpse of about an hour ago.   It was obvious she was struggling to come to terms with everything that was going on, but at the same time, she was doing her damnedest to remain as cool as possible.  Now wasn't the time for a personality swap, she reckoned. Besides, there wasn't anyone else to explode at the current time. But what else could she do...?

On the other hand, Sheerah had followed her sister's instruction to the letter- bringing out armfuls of vials and bottles, dropping them gently to the rug on the floor, and immediately bringing out a large bowl of water, along with some rags.  Her first act had been to dip the rag in the water and firmly but gently wipe away the residue surrounding Zana's mouth. Admittedly, she'd had to do this before- people  would drink things they were slipped, people would end up stabbed and have the poison applied internally... but never something on this magnitude, or variety.

“Rana, you watch the door.  If anything so much as tries to knock, I want it dead. Sheerah, her life is in your hands.  Let her-” She motioned to the raen girl. “-help you.  We got as much of what they were carrying as we could, hopefully there's something in there that can help you figure out what you need to do. If there's anything that you need, call it in.  I have favors I can collect, people who can help.”

Kneeling besides Zana, Sheerah simply swallowed and gently opened her sister's mouth, taking a sniff and wincing.  

“...I suppose the better question is, well, what -wasn't- she dosed with?  Everything's all muddled in there... start pulling out bottles or anything you can find, miss...”

“Miko will suffice for now, Sheerah-san.  Here.  These are all the empty containers we could find...”

As the others set to work, Eline swallowed and ran down the hall, quickly unlocking the last room upon the left of the hallway, and slipping inside.  Zana often used this room when she needed somewhere to stay, and the mess of documents and knives and... music... and a poster?  Was that...

Eline set it aside and shook her head.  She'd have killed to see Zana on stage, singing, if that poster was anything to go by. But clients always came first, and she'd even dragged along Sheerah and Rana to Ishgard to see everything since the war had finally ended.  Granted, they'd all had a fun time- and coming home to a chest mostly full of gil and jewelry and everything had been a welcome treat, and had easily been one of the better things they'd come home to, and the note from Zana had made them all chuckle.

The second-best thief at work handed me a bit of info on a nice little bunch who didn't deserve the gil they'd accumulated. I paid them a visit and raised some significant trouble for them and took it off them.  Spend it in good health, you guys.  I'll see you soon!

Soon, she realized, had then ended with her being recalled to Hingashi for some reason- for work, more than likely.  

But why the Pakshee would send Zana off on a multi-month mission to Hingashi, well, she didn't understand.  Everyone in the industry knew the name of Dulaque- some admired her, some feared her, and she'd apparently hired Zana as some sort of assistant- and though she admittedly scared her a bit, well... Eline was looking forward to meeting this Andromeda, sometime- though every time Zana referred to her as “Rommie-chan”, she imagined something absolutely horrible was awaiting her sister if she ever used that remark around her boss.

Then again, Zana had always had a smart mouth, and from everything that she'd mentioned, at first, she'd been her usual, crass self at work- and then, wonder of wonders... the workplace had seemed to have an effect on her.  Rough edges were smoothed over, and things were polished, and for once, Zana had been looking towards the future, instead of just enjoying the moment.

Found herself friends, dear ones at that- and had found someone absolutely special, if the trove of handwritten poetry about a miqo'te with freckles like the stars in the night sky was anything to go on.

She wanted to meet these people sometime... but hopefully it wouldn't be to simply take posession of her sister's things and allow them to attend her funeral.

Shifting them aside, she sighed, and wiped her hand across her eyes.  Nothing of use in the papers, and at least one substance running through her sister's body that could kill her if given half a chance. Exiting the room, she ran back to the living room and watched as Sheerah gently dripped antidotes down Zana's throat, massaging it to coax her to swallow, and mixing it up with some gradual healing magic to help at least stymie the ongoing damage so the antidotes could neutralize it.

“...I fear you don't have any kind of remedy that could be useful to counteract the oni tears.  There are as many different recipes for it as there are stars in the sky... I don't know how this mix is affecting her.   You might just have to keep feeding her the potions and just try to counteract the damage until it's flushed out of her system... but that could take days, depending on the mix.”

Miko shook her head, wiping her eyes as she watched Sheerah work, and then over to Rana, standing facing the door with her staff in her hands, eyes solid and unmoving.

“Honestly, I'm not possibly sure how this could get much worse...”

The sheer irony of that statement was not lost on Eline as something came through the window, a large bundle of green cloth, that landed heavily upon the floor and rested there, amongst the shards of glass and what used to be a rather nice rug.  Then, in another explosion of movement, it burst right into motion, flashing through the room, tugging Sheerah up by the back of her robe and pressing a pulled knife right to her throat as the cloak unfurled to reveal yet another miqo'te- though if the shock and fear on Sheerah's face was anything to go by, things just went from bad to worse.

“...hello, little prey.  Did you miss me?”

[zanaakhabila]

-10) Out of Nowhere

Nine posts to go.  Contains mildly disturbing themes.  How many of you still read this, anyways?  Let me know if you think I have my style back!

Apartment of Elinedera Akhabila, Ul'dah

Very Early Morning, 19th Sun, Second Astral Moon

When someone is relentlessly pounding at your door, in Eline's experience, it could either be a very Good Thing, or a very Bad Thing.  In her lifetime, and in her line of work, she'd experienced both. But as the hammering continued, she pulled herself out of her warm, comfortable bed, and slipped her feet into some soft boots.  Sleepily making her way towards the door, she winced as two almost-identical voices reached out from rooms on the opposite side of the hallway.

“Big sister, there's someone at the door... and it's your turn to answer it! Please make them go away, I'm too tired to make a kaboom... it hurts my head!”

“...Rana, please don't blow the apartment up?  It's hard enough to keep this place clean without having to refurnish and clean the soot off the walls... that said... Eli, make them go away...”

That... was not good.  If Sheerah and Rana were awake, well, that could be bad news, as well... mostly because Sheerah had lessons in the morning, and finding a conjury tutor outside of Gridania was very hard... and very expensive.  But she'd been doing very, very well at them, happily plying her trade at a local clinic, helping to heal wounds both old and new.

On the other hand, Rana being awake could be a Good Thing and a Bad Thing- Good as in the disturbance could be dealt with quickly, but Bad in that she might have to come up for some answers to the Brass Blades as to just what that scorch mark outside her door was, yet again.  It seemed that just last week they'd been there when Rana had tried to explode a rat in the hallway, and had been told to never, ever do it again.

Muttering a few profanities, Eline picked up a club sitting by the door and held it at the ready, also picking up a small bundle of leaves sitting next to it and sticking it in her mouth, chewing it intently.  Almost instantly, the cooling power of the mint washed through her mouth, and brought her to full alertness. The knocking happened again, and this time, she could swear that someone was shouting something. Raising the club, she moved her hand to the doorknob, and after a silent count of three, jerked it open, ready to bring the club down on the pest-

-which was when the disturbance came barreling into the apartment, intent on- grabbing her by the hand and pulling her along?  Blinking, Eline looked down... and found herself looking at a stammering, distressed young au'ra- of the raen variety, if she understood.  

“Thank the kami you're here!  Please, I need help and I don't know how much longer she's going to be there!  Come on, please, help me! Anata no imōto wa komatteimasu!”

That last line caused Eline to quirk her head.  It was true her establishment often entertained both raen and xaela varieties of au'ra, it was a rare thing to see a young raen woman patronize such an establishment, at least from what she could remember from the clients she'd seen.  Plus, this one wasn't wearing clothes that were made locally... she could swear that they were foreign.

'...those are Hingashi-made. There's no craftinghouse outside of Capellago's or Sunsilk that could do an outfit like that in that quality, and that's even before the markings...'

In an instant, the raen was trying to pull her out the door, insistent on her coming with her.

“Please! You need to come with me! She's in trouble! Zana wa shinkokuna toraburu ni ochītte imasu!”

If there ever was a name that could make her blood run cold at a thought, it was hearing someone say something about her wayward sister.  Last she'd heard, her sister had put in an appearance at her place of work, before suddenly leaving for overseas again at the drop of a hat- the only glimpse she'd gotten was a quick flash of blue as she'd passed the aetheryte, and she'd run up just to see her sister vanish into the aether yet again, with an angry grimace on her face.

“H-hold on.  What about Zana? She's... overseas, somewhere I've never been!  What do you want-”

“Zana-san is hurt!  I got her to an alley close to here, but people have been trailing me... I need help to get her somewhere to get help!”

Immediately, Eline shook off her hand and ran back into the apartment, snatching up a sheathed sword that she slung over her clothes and scooped up a shield.  Apparently those lessons in fighting she'd been bought for Starlight were going to come in useful after all...

“RANA! SHEERAH! I'm heading out, it's an emergency!  Lock the door after I leave and don't open it for anyone but me!  Swear on the Twelve, I'll be back soon!”

Leaving a pair of confused half-miqo'te in her wake, Eline barreled out the door, following the raen girl as she did.  Down the stairs, out the door, and past a couple of late-night carousers, she ran, just keeping her eyes on the raen in front of her.

“...there- who's that?”

From the alley ahead, a group of people were emerging, each one of them in a good mood, it seemed.  

“Hah.  That bitch won't be waking up from that any time soon.  It took some trouble, but the boss was right- she couldn't bring herself to sell off all of it. He was right- make it look garish, and it makes it that much easier to track.  Didn't expect her to actually still be wearing some of it- but then again, a cocky thief always ends up the same way- just too bad there wasn't any convenient sky island to toss her off of, like back home. But still, with all that in her system... did you see her start thrashing before we poured the paralytic and sleep potions down her throat?  If I didn't know any better, I'd think someone else dosed her before we found her... just too bad we couldn't get any of the stuff...”

Beside her, Eline watched as the little raen girl became almost agitated beyond belief- until suddenly she was gone in a flash, streaking forward with fists raised towards the bunch.

“Hey, wait-”  She cursed in Ishgardian- something about material from the hind end of a sick dragon- and followed her in.  

Admittedly, it was an easy fight- made even easier by the fact that she'd completely misjudged the raen girl.  As she moved from opponent to opponent, her hands were a bit of a blur, striking and grabbing, holding and positioning for kicks, sending each of the men into the ground with cries of pain before moving on.  For her own credit, Eline was honestly using the distraction she'd provided to smack and knock the few that were even paying attention to her to unconsciousness.  It wasn't because she was that good, she grimly thought- but that the group was distracted and unwilling to even admit that they could possibly be found, or even caught.

As the last one went down, unconscious, the raen made her round, striking at the backs of heads, to make sure none of them were simply playing at being unconscious, while Eline dashed into the alleyway, looking around.  Her eyes were still unaccustomed to the dark, and when the raen girl pulled a small device from her pocket and flipped it on, she had to blink to clear her eyes of the sudden brightness.  Shining it from side to side as she walked down the alleyway, she just ran forward until she saw a massive pile of waste leaning up against the side of the building.

Her face going even paler, she darted ahead, starting to cast aside the waste, digging ever deeper into the haphazard pile.

“...I'm not seeing her- I swear, if this is some sort of twelvesdamned tri-”

The raen pulled aside a pile of crumpled newsprint- and Eline's heart seemed to stop.  

The raen girl had been telling the truth.  At her feet, rested the last person she ever expected to run across in some Ul'dah alleyway.  Swearing up a storm, she sheathed her sword and slipped her shield onto her back, kneeling to roll the unconscious girl over.

Twelves, she looked terrible.  The outfit she was wearing had been soaked through with who knew what, including blood, and her face didn't seem much better, either.   Her mouth seemed to be covered with sticky, colored leavings- she leaned close to take a sniff and jerked back at harsh, strong smells.

“...Gods... Zana, wake up... please wake up... come on, Zanmarie, time to wake up...”  Eline gently slapped the cheeks of her sister, and then felt her anxiety rise as she didn't even makle a sound- except for lightly retching and twitching.  

“Dammit, Zana... don't you fucking do this to me... wake up, twelvesdammit...!”

There was no response from the young woman.   Silently, the raen appeared by her side, a small sack bulging in her hands.  She took one glance at the girl in Eline's arms and her face paled- even more so than usual for a raen.  Her hand came up, and two fingers dipped into Zana's mouth, scraping around the inside, and then she brought them to her nose, taking a light sniff before grimacing and wiping the mess on her outfit.

“Yarō! ...I'm not familiar with these scents, but if they were like the oni tears that she'd gotten dosed with in Kugane... I hope you have a skilled healer close by... or Zana-san is not going to see the morning.”

Scooping the inert body of the self-proclaimed Lominsian Blue into her arms, Eline made for the alley entrance and hoped to the Twelve they wouldn't hit any Brass Blade patrols on the way back. Adjusting her hold on the unconscious body of her sister, she tapped her pearl and began to speak in a level tone as she walked quickly back.

“Sheerah.  Rana.  I want you both to listen to me, very, very carefully.  I'm coming back, and I have Zana. It's not looking good.  I need you to break out every single remedy for poison you can find, and to break out the ethers and anything else you think we might need.  She looks like she's been dragged through the mud behind a chocobo cart and stuffed with as many different toxins as could be found.  Forget about lessons, forget about the Quicksand.  Your sister hangs in the balance here.”

[zanaakhabila]

Reblog if no matter if you have 50,000 or 50 followers, you appreciate every single one. Reblog if you appreciate the messages you get, whether it's 100 or 1. Reblog if a little smile comes across your face everytime you see a new follower or message. Reblog if even though most of us aren't tumblr famous, we appreciate the little things.

[zanaakhabila]

Good Job Alabama

[zanaakhabila]

Ask Box Questions

So that TMI Tuesday can be TMI Everyday! 

Physical

What physical part of themselves do they find sexiest?

What physical part of themselves do they find least sexy?

What physical part of themselves would they change if they could?

Do they look like parents or siblings?

Tell us about their hair. Color, texture, length, style, things they like or dislike about their hair.

Tell us about their eyes. Color, shape, eyelashes. Wide, half-closed, narrowed?

Describe the shape of their body.

Describe their physical fitness. Do they exercise? What kind?

Do they have scars? Pick one and tell the story of how they got it.

Do they have tattoos or piercings? Describe ( or share an image ) and tell us what inspired the body modifications. 

Mental

How were they as a student? Favorite / Least favorite subject?

Do they like to read? If so, what?

Did / do they study better with a partner or solo?

What topics do they find themselves thinking about often?

Are they witty and quick with come-backs when insulted or provoked?

How perceptive are they of their surroundings?

As thinkers, are they logical, or outside-the-box?

What things do they want to learn about and just haven’t had the opportunity?

Have they ever learned information they wished they could forget?

How do they feel and respond when socializing with someone of far lower or far higher intellect?

Emotional

Tell us about an emotional experience they’ve had, and the circumstances involved. Anger? Happiness? Sorrow? Guilt? Despair? Boredom? Pride? ( Asker picks! )

Do they suffer from any emotional issues like depression or anxiety?

Have they ever been in love?

What does ‘love’ mean to them?

How are they at expressing emotions to others? Do they wear their heart on their sleeve, or try to hide their emotions?

When was the last time they cried? Why?

When was the last time they laughed? Why?

Have they ever had their heart broken? What happened?

Other People ( because people love being tagged )

Who do they love? Romantic or platonic.

Who do they hate?

What was their worst encounter with another person?

What was their best encounter with another person?

Is there anyone that they miss?

How do they get along with their family?

Is there anyone they would pick a fight with?

What sorts of people draw them?

What sorts of people repel them?

What’s the strangest or most random conversation they’ve had?

Who has had the greatest impact on their life at the moment?

Who had the greatest impact when they were young?

Is there anyone they would really like to meet? Or their player wants them to meet?

Who would they consider to be their closest friend?

Naughty Bits

Anyone they lust after?

Favorite locations for an intimate encounter?

How would they seduce someone?

Worst sexual experience?

Best sexual experience?

In their opinion ( or experience ), what’s the worst thing to say after sex?

Any kinks or fetishes they incorporate into sexual encounters?

Any kinks or fetishes they’re ashamed of?

Polyamory or monogamy?

Favorite position?

Dig Deeper..

What do they want out of life that they are certain they’ll never have?

Any recurring dreams?

What’s the strangest dream they’ve ever had?

How do they feel about the concepts of good and evil?

What question do they yearn to find an answer to?

What situations present them with a conundrum?

What sort of moral code do they follow?

What circumstances would make them break their moral code?

How do they feel about honor?

Is there anything they’ve had to do, and still regret?

Where do they want to be in five years?

How do they react to the death of a loved one?

Describe an event that changed a long-held view.

[zanaakhabila]

New drinking game for support mains: take a shot every time your party sets off a mechanic that kills them and blames you. Bonus points if it kills everyone except you because you followed bloody mechanics and they blame you because they died even when there was absolutely no way to heal their stupidity.

Even more bonus points if you’re the last one alive because you’re the only one who did the mechanic.

– Mod Mhi

[zanaakhabila]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Time for a lowdown on lore-specific mistletoe, of course!

Thavnairian Mistletoe definitely seems to be the best one to use to inspire shenanigans, though the regular Mistletoe is the one listed as commonly used for decoration. Notice that the regular mistletoe is the only one mentioned as “poisonous” as well as parasitic. Please don’t eat it.

Also worth noting: the regular and Thavnairian mistletoe are both found in Coerthas. I wonder why the Thavnairian varietal was named as such?

In any case, get to smoochin’ (and maybe shoe exchangin’)

[zanaakhabila]

Just let me know first off!

Reblog this if you don’t mind me saying hello to you ingame because I recognise you from Tumblr.

I always see people ingame from Tumblr and I’m always SUPER scared to say hi.

So uh, I made this just to make sure you guys don’t mind me approaching you ingame with my silly cat!

♥

[zanaakhabila]

5K FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY!

We’re getting ready to hit a HUGE milestone! 

Thank you all so so so much for your support. As I know you guys know already, I love doing giveaways. And 5,000 is the last giveaway I’ll be doing until 7.5k, so it’s a big one!  

You know the other thing I like doing? Character sheets. So I’m doing a 5x5 giveaway for this go ‘round. 

Giveaway begins Sunday, December 3rd, 2017 and ends Thursday, December 28th, 2017. 

5K. 5 figures. 5 Expressions. 25 days.

Rules: -Likes are awesome, but only Reblogs will be counted. Multiple reblogs will count multiple times! Do NOT spam reblog, however. It is annoying to everyone involved. -You must be following this blog at the time of winner selection! -No giveaway blogs! I will be checking! - One winner will be selected via Random.Org. If I hit 5.5K by the end date, I will pick two winners.

The winner(s) will get a 2 Part Character Sheet! 5 figures, 5 expressions!  -I will message the winner as well as announce them on the blog! After 2 days, if I get no response, I will select another! -This prize can be OCs, fan characters, whatever (just not IRL people, please!)

So follow, reblog, and good luck, friendos!

[zanaakhabila]

I think a massive pile of Zana cooking could help this out.

Try your mettle at The Nomathon!

Do you have a big appetite? Are you always asking for thirds? Do you like to win? Mustard your courage and relish the opportunity to compete in the Nomathon, Eorzea’s next big eating competition. Represent your race in the initial rounds, and if you win, compete in the Grand Finale where you and your fellow contestants will meet a challenge so hot, it could melt the snow in Coerthas.  The steaks are high, as the Grand Finale Winner will take home the trophy, the title of Eorzea’s Biggest Nom and a gil prize! Not one to go ham with your appetite? Show up in support of your friends, visit the food stalls, take on your own challenges and help us celebrate food a’plenty!

OOC Information:

- Competition winners will be settled with a /random system, you have to roll higher than your competitors! The system is simple, but will allow for you to know how many plates of food your character consumes.  - The competition rounds start at 7pm, be there ahead of time as we will be taking sign-ups on the day.  - Prizes will be announced as we get closer to the date. 

The Nomathon is Looking for Sponsors!!

Is your character a chef? Do they run their own restaurant or food organisation?  The Nomathon is looking for anyone capable to design food challenges (Think akin to really big portions, many calories, or other challenges where food is taken to the point of excess) and to supply food for the actual competition!  We also gladly welcome regular food stalls, waiters/waitresses, judges and more. Get in touch - We’ll be using Discord to organize the event. 

There’s no thyme like now, let’s have a smash!

[zanaakhabila]

I’m a bit of a mix... I start out as Writer B, but I end up as Writer A for those characters who are more important to the story.

There are two types of writers…

Writer A: “I’ve fleshed this character out to the point where they’re more real then I am. I know everything about them, including their blood type, their thirty-first favorite song, what they did for their sixth birthday, and which brand of apples they prefer.”

Writer B: “This character exists as a full person in my head, but I know absolutely nothing about them. Once I forced them to talk about themselves,  and they simultaneous lied about their past and told me accurate trivia facts I don’t remember learning.”

[zanaakhabila]

I FOUND THIS IN SOMEONE'S RULES, AND IT'S RELEVANT

I like to know my writing partner. This isn’t always necessary, and if you’re not the sort of person who tries to get chummy with their roleplaying buddies, that’s absolutely fine, but in my experience, the plots and characters that last the longest are the ones with the players that I can message at 3 in the morning with an idea without feeling like I’m bothering them. 

[zanaakhabila]

well i can certainly say i never thought i’d be at over 200 followers in under a month - and i can also say that i am SO THANKFUL for each and every one of you who were a part of getting me here. i’m literally choking up behind my screen as i type this because you all mean the world to me. 

as a little thank you for the following, i’m going to do a giveaway (yaaaay!!). pls keep in mind that i’m a broke college kid so the prizes aren’t anything like WOW, but they’re still PRIZES, so that’s pretty neat. 

1st place will get a $20.00 credit toward the mog station or amazon - their choice (especially considering the holidays!!) 

& 2nd place will get $10.00 credit toward the same two options!!

the only few rules i have for my winners are as follows: 

you should be following me because that’s… that’s a given 

reblogs count - likes do NOT, but they’re appreciated!

new followers are welcome of course!!

& again, i just want to say a huge freaking thank you to you all. the community i came from was harsh & unkind, and as someone with terrible anxiety, i feel really loved by this one and i’m having a super rad time. i care about you guys a lot & i hope you’re all taking care of yourselves.

i also want to take a moment to give @drakeandstray a HUGE shoutout. without her i wouldn’t be here & i wouldn’t be able to have met the incredible people i’ve met. you mean the world to me my friend and i’m thankful for all the time i’ve had as your friend & all the time i’ll have with you in the future. from a blind boy to a pirate crew, i’m thankful for you.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME. 

(also screencapped this right at 69 notes buahahahah) 

[zanaakhabila]

{ Put a rumour about my muse in my inbox and my character will react to it }

[zanaakhabila]

Daily Stream Unending Starts Tonight (Sat. December 2nd)

We like to keep this blog as in-character as possible, but I need to make an announcement here.

As part of a rapid fire flurry of awful events I can’t go into too much detail on, Brohamut ( @twelvesavethequeen), the other half of The Crucible, totaled his car and got kicked out of the apartment he’s been living in for a few months now. He recently got a job which I understand he quite enjoys, but because of a billing mishap he’s (as I understand it) in terrible financial straits at the moment. “Can’t pay for a cab/uber to work” bad.

This being the case, he needs all the help he can get. In light of this, I’ll be streaming every day at twitch.tv/thecrucibleffxiv  at various times (my sleep schedule is wild and erratic) and will be asking for donations to him to help him out. Anything we get will go straight to helping him with the incredible amount of bullshit life has shoveled on him.

You can donate via paypal here: PayPal.me/TheCrucibleFFXIV. You would be surprised how much $1 helps.

I’m already giving Brohamut everything I have, but what I have is little more than pocket change. Please help my friend. Anything helps.

-Saferoth / @safestsephiroth

P.S.: If you want to see a specific game played, you can send $5 or more and pick it from this list for a minimum of 2 hours of Saferoth playing it, or send him any PC game via Steam plus $5 and he’ll play that, too. The only exception is games which are banned on Twitch. 

[zanaakhabila]

Reblog if you’re okay with rping shippy stuff without any smut

[zanaakhabila]

When you see Zana, what song do you think of for her?

Put a song in my inbox that you associate with me

I wanna make a playlist.